Rangers saved Black-shanked douc langur

A young male Black-shanked douc langur was rescued by members of the Mobile Enforcement Unit in Mondulkiri province and will be placed in the care of authorities at the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre. On Sunday, a local found the baby langur injured and abandoned in the forest not far from his village while he was collecting non-timber forest product (NTFP).

“Soon after he saved the douc langur, the villager reported his find to the enforcement team, who quickly transferred the animal to the Forestry Administration Office in Sen Monorom for immediate care,” said Mr Chay Sokha, Chief of the Mobile Enforcement Unit and Official of the Forestry Administration. Given the vulnerable conditions of the animal and risks, the team will not release it back to the wild but will transfer it to the national Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre in Takeo province, 30km southeast of Phnom Penh capital.

Mr Chay Sokha said the Mobile Enforcement Unit also rescued and have already transferred to the Phnom Tamao Facility an adult Black-shanked douc langur and two other rare baby pygmy slow loris, all discovered last week at a local household situated 20km from Sen Monorom town.

The Mobile Enforcement Unit is supported by WWF and was established in 2009. On call to operate all over Mondulkiri province, the team consists of officers from the National Gendarmes and the Forestry Administration. The Black-shanked douc langur is classified as rare species in the Cambodia’s forestry law and is red-listed as endangered by IUCN.